The increased use of the internet, and specifically, the ability for personal electronic devices to connect to the internet almost anywhere has redefined the field of travel information. Endless pamphlets from the local travel agent are no longer needed or desired by travellers as this information can be found at the touch of a fingertip.
Many cities and businesses alike provide an array of travel options for tourists. These include simple walkabout tours, bus tours, among other implements to allow tourists to view a location under the direction of a knowledgeable guide. While tour guides are well known and utilized throughout the world, the adoption of technologies including the internet, global positioning systems (“GPS”), and network connectivity of tour vehicles, tour directors, and tourists alike is underutilized in the current arts.
AU Patent No. 2017/100942 to Benjamin K. Heller et al. discloses an Australian patent aimed at providing an easy, hassle free platform for tour guides offering, and tourists seeking out experiences. The unique selling proposition of the invention over traditional means provides for an easy method for tour operators, tour guides, or locals with experience and knowledge to connect with tourists, visitors, special groups, or even individuals looking for a particular tailored experience. Heller discloses an affordable invention with the ability for customers to request tailored experienced.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2006/0068840 to Frank Sherman et al. discloses an event guide system to coordinate passenger transport and to provide event information including a transport vehicle, a host processor, and a portable processor remote from the host processor. The vehicle includes a processor capable of receiving event information and video data from the portable processor, as well as transmitting vehicle status data to the portable processor. The portable processor is capable of receiving the vehicle status data from the vehicle processor, as well sa transmitting the vehicle status data to the host processor. The host site operable to receive and store the vehicle status data.
Heller et al. fails to disclose any method for allowing a tourist to join an excursion that is currently in progress. Further, lending a personal electronic device (“PED”) to the tourists is not disclosed. Sherman et al. fails to disclose the transmittal of push notifications relevant to the real-time progress of the touring excursion. Further, the tourists is unable to join an in-progress touring excursion.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2002/0011951 to Gilles Pepin et al. discloses a portable tourist guide and guiding service. The portable guide has a GPS positioning module for determining its precise position, and a portable computer system. The computer correlates the device's position with the relevant touristic information of multimedia format, including digitized audio and visual data. Updatable data storage is provided so that the relevant information is stored in the device and may be updated as needed. A user interface is provided to gather instructions from a user and provide this user with the touristic information.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2014/0278861 to Hoppy, Societe a Responsabilite Limitee discloses a mobile device to supply information, notably for tourism, to a user, has a storage device that is fragmented into sectors, each sector corresponding at least to one given geographic location and showing an address, a tracker of said device, capable of delivering positioning information, corresponding to the location wherein the device is situated, a processor capable of drawing up a reading instruction containing at least the address of the sector of the information to be supplied in a relation the positioning information on the basis of one or several correspondence table.
WO Pat. No. 2011/161664 to Shimon Messika et al. discloses a system for providing information and/or services to tourists traveling in a foreign country, which comprises a plurality of dedicated cellular mobile devices used by tourists traveling in a foreign country. Each device has a user interface which is configured to display menus to a tourist in his own native language, for allowing the tourist to select desired information and/or services. A call center is in cellular communication with the devices and that uniquely identifies the profile of each tourist who initiates an incoming call, according to data stored in hos mobile device and automatically directs the incoming call to an operator who communicates with the tourist in his own native language, for providing verbal and textual desired information to the tourist and for acquiring desired services for the tourist from trusted service providers.
WO Patent No. 99/60548 to Dov Graugen et al. discloses a guiding apparatus, particularly for use by tourists. The apparatus is provided with memory for storing relevant information (maps and background) about the touring sites, possibly assembled and edited by the user from the Internet. A built-in GPS prompts the information for each site in synchronization with the actual sight-seeing time thereof.
It can be seen that an advancement in the arts of tourists tracking, and providing information thereto utilizing personal electronic devices is needed. Embodiments of one such advance are provided herein.